The Search of the Lost one
by Martinus Gladius
Summary: Once upon time, there was a mighty battle between a warlord orc and a magician...
1. I

"… and it was a dark night in a field in Guarthedez. In the middle of the field, there were two characters. They were opposites of each other. One of the characters was small; had a straight posture and balanced himself on his staff. The staff was finely curved in pine, as its top was akin to a man's hand trying to squeeze a rounded object. This rounded 'object' was some source of energy or an essence of magic. The magical essence was as red as fresh blood from a new wound. Also, the essence's power was vivid and revealed that the character holding the staff was a man. The man's beard and hair was long, black and thick. The man's robe had some symbols, which shined as vividly as the magical essence from his staff. In comparison, the other character was two feet taller than the wizard-man. His posture was aggressive. In his right hand, he held a hammer. Even within the moonlight, it was visible that he was the more savage of the two. He wore nothing but a piece of cloth which barely covered the lower parts of his body. The creature's body was covered with blue war paintings. The savage's skin was dark green. His brutality was also seen through the savage's trophies, which were the heads of his challengers", read Karathis, son of Marthis.

Karathis prepared to close his book, however the tiny voice of his son, Famius, stopped this action, as he asked quietly, "And what was next, Dad? Did the wizard-man kill the orc?"

Karathis responded, "Well, it was not that simple, Famius. I will read more tomorrow."

Famius insisted, "Please, dad, read me a few more pages. And I promise that I will work harder tomorrow."

Karathis nodded and said, "I trust your words son."

Karathis took a deep breath in. Then he continued with the story.

"Two of them stood in the middle of the field gazing at each other. The silence remained only for a few seconds. And then the fight began. The wizard-man used his powerful spells against his opponent. And the orc used his hammer to aim to overcome the wizard-man. They fought back and forth. And each attack of both characters was more powerful than the one performed before. Yet none of the attacks were the final one, until the wizard-man created a _mkpụrụ obi oriri_ spell, which was performed successfully. It destroyed the orc!

Nevertheless, since the spell was cast, the wizard-man was unable to speak to anyone. The wizard-man was then unable to be with anyone. The loneliness of the wizard-man could only be explained by his transformation into a half-beast and half-human. Since then no-one has ever found the wizard-man; now known as _Anụ ọhịa-nwoke._ Many men tried to find him. As _Anụ ọhịa-nwoke_ was the only one who once knew spells to awaken N_a-akpọte n'ụra_. The spell which would…"Karathis voice trailed off as he heard his son snoring deeply. Karathis smiled and finished the previous sentence, "… bring the peace." And then he gently closed the book. He then kissed Famius' forehead and left his son's bedroom.


	2. II

4 years later...

A roaring of a wild animal woke up Famius. Nevertheless, for the boy, this roar was new and he had not heard it before. Famius was curious and walked bare-footed from his dwelling only to discover the devastation of, Na_-echebe ala_; his village. Famius took a look around and saw houses on fire, children crying for help with their mothers and horses neighing loudly. The village became a ruin.

Famius had to leave the village. He rapidly went back to his residence, which was not affected by the mayhem. Famius took a bag, some food supplies, the necklace of his mother and a short dagger of his father's.

Famius walked out of his household prepared to go on his voyage. Yet, from the beginning, his journey was limited; he could only take two routes. Either he would travel towards the 'West' or the 'East'. The voyage towards the 'West', leads one to find a town, whereas the route towards the 'East', leads one to a wild forest. The forest was believed to be the forest where the 'half-man and half-beast' was living. Famius made up his mind quickly and decided to challenge the myth. And so he began his adventure.

It took him a few hours to find an appropriate way into the forest, however, eventually he succeeded. Suddenly, out of the murkiness and obscurity of the forest, a muscular boy appeared. He was of an average height and a few inches taller than Famius. His body language expressed both his confusion and fearfulness with the situation. However, he seemed quite confident as he approached Famius; his name was 'Rabius'.

'Famius, is that you?', asked Rabius with doubt.

'Yes, that is me, Rabius', responded Famius assuredly. 'Are you alone?'

'No, I am with Gregori, Joksan and Jaxton.'

'It is good to know that they are alive,' Famius had a moment of relief. 'Do you know who has set our village towards this misery?'

'I do not know. I was awoken by chance. Excuse me, by three chances', Rabius pointed towards the forest. He growled like a wolf and the three young boys appeared out of the murkiness and obscurity of the forest. The three boys were Gregori, Joksan and Jaxton.

All three boys were brothers of the house of Gargeron; all three of them were alike. They were taller than Rabius and Famius; each of them was around six foot four inches. Each of them had extremely blonde hair and blue eyes. Their personalities and interests helped to distinguish the boys. Gregori was a risk-taker and the strongest of his siblings. Joksan was the cleverest of the siblings; he had a deep passion for magic. And Jaxton was a lover and observer of nature; he was the calmest and the most peaceful of the siblings.


	3. III

Then, Famius asked all three siblings, "Thus tell me, my friends, what has happened to our beloved village? And who has dared to attack it?"

Joksan responded "Well, the first noise that I heard in the morning was the noise of a battle horn. I was surprised. Then, I woke up. Then, I saw through the window of my household an animal similar to a wolf. However..."

Gregori interrupted, "Oh, Joksan, do not dramatise! What he wanted to say was..."

Joksan interrupted sharply, "...was that he saw a goblin rider on a Vilkan, a huge wolf." He said looking irritatedly at Gregori.

Gregori's facial expression became more aggressive; it seemed as if he was prepared to take his sword out of his sheath. However, when Jaxton, the oldest of the siblings, stepped forward between the other two brothers, then the tension between them seemed to disappear.

Famius was astonished and thus he repeated Joksan's words, "A goblin rider on a Vilkan?I thought that those beasts had left our lands for good. Hence, I wonder, what was the purpose of the attack?"

Jaxton responded in his calm voice, "Yes, we too, my friend, wondered why Vilkan riders would come to our village. Then, me and my brothers..."

"Vilkan riders, you said Jaxton?" interrupted Famius rapidly. He continued, "My friend, you are claiming that there was more than one of these savage riders?!"

"I am not just claiming, Famius. I saw the goblin riders and my siblings saw them, too. However, I cannot recall, what their purpose was," Jaxton said. He then carefully looked to his left, where Joksan stood.

Joksan then stated, "Oh … as far as I recall, the leader said, 'No jewels can be found in these lands. Come my riders, we shall move to the _East_. Remember, the jewels must be found. The jewels, our master demands deeply.'"

Jaxton replied, "Thank you, Joksan. After this command, the leader with his riders galloped off. Then, we rapidly returned to the village. We had woken up Rabius within his burning household. We thought that you were already dead."

Gregori interrupted the conversation violently, "Well, we need to move ourselves somewhere before the night falls."

Rabius said, "We are not moving anywhere."

Gregori responded, "Well, we need to..."

Rabius then authoritatively said, "Well we do not, as I am your leader."

Gregori took his sword out of his sheath and pointed towards Rabius. Gregori boldly said, "Who is now the commander of your pathetic life?!"

Rabius also took his sword out of his sheath. All the other boys did not try to stop neither Rabius nor Gregori.

And suddenly, an enigmatic character moved within the woods. Immediately, all of the boys took their swords out of their sheathes and pointed towards the forest. Then, the enigmatic character revealed himself to the boys. At first, the boys became blinded by the vividness of the enigmatic character's armour. The enigmatic character took his sword, which gleamed with the brightness. And then one…


	4. IV

...moment later he swung his sword and all of the boys fell down onto the forest floor (duff). The enigmatic character then prayed to a deity; he whispered, "Archesse, The surveyor of all that is seen, dark and light, aid me to slay the creatures before me and I shall bring order upon this island."

And then a strong wind blew from the 'East'. A strange sounding voice whispered back to this enigmatic character, "My blessing is worthless against those innocent boys. One of them is able to aid you in your quest. The other one will lead to the highest druid within the forest. One of them, like you, is on a quest." And after those words the strange voice disappeared.

Finally, the brightness fell like an exhausted eyelid. The boys now saw this enigmatic character with clarity. This enigmatic character was a man. The man wore silver armour, which was very finely polished. Yet, the man did not wear a helmet. His head was hairless; his face was beardless. The man had a visible symbol on his armour around his chest. Nevertheless, the symbol seemed unfamiliar to the boys but some features implied that the symbol originated from the 'South-West' of the island.

The man looked at the boys from above as the boys were lying down on the floor; powerless! Pointing his two-handed sword towards the boys, the man asked demandingly, "From where have you come from?"

No-one answered the man's question.

The silence remained, until the man stated impatiently, "I swear on Archesse, The surveyor of all that is seen, dark and light, I will cut off all of your heads." Then, the man turned his sword towards Famius; the man took one step towards Famius and his sword was almost cutting Famius' throat. Then, the man asked, "Boy, where are you from?"

Famius responded quickly, "Not far away from here."

The man responded with rage, "Boy, your ans-"

The man stopped talking for a moment.

He recalled Famius' face.

The man raised his eyebrows and then his voice tone became doubtful. He said uncertainly, "If I am right … you must be Famius, son of Karathis, from _Na-echebe ala_."

Famius stated surprisedly, "Yes, I am Famius, son of Karathis, from _Na-echebe ala_." Famius then looked at the other boys and their response was similar to his; all of the boys were confused by the knowledge of this unknown Knight. Famius boldly asked, "Sir, how do you know my name and the name of my father?"

The man responded calmly as he put his long, two-handed sword back into his sheath, "Your father was my best friend during the 'Battle of _Gnujamord_'. Also, a few years after the battle, I met your father just after your mother died. I remember that it was a time of mourning and sorrow for your father. I helped him to recover from this tragedy. Alas, you were too young to remember this event. Nevertheless, I am Titanius, son of Lux, the knight of _King Gregoriani_, one who serves only _Archesse_, _God's hand_ and your friend."

The boys were astonished, because, within _Na-echebe ala,_ there were many legends regarding 'God's hand'. In those legends, 'God's hand' was always described as a faithful Knight and a skilled warrior. In one of those legends, 'God's hand' slaughtered five enemies with one swing of his sword. Also, in other legends, 'God's hand' cast a spell of empowerment on his sword. This allowed 'God's hand' to…


	5. V

…to overcome an even greater number of his enemies. The sword was designed as if it had its own mind, nevertheless, the weapon had to obey its master.

Rabius asked, "Dear knight, that is all very well that you claim having these titles of knighthood and of whatever else you possess. However, I am still standing here, unconvinced by your tales."

The knight nodded, which was a gesture of accepting Rabius' perspective. Then the knight stated, "I understand your disbelief, my friend. I will prove to you, and to your companions that I am all and more than I had claimed." Then, the knight looked at each of the boys and said in his loud and clear voice, "I am calling you all, for a combat tournament. There are two rules that you must follow. The first rule is that I am fighting alone against you all, my friends. The second rule is that if one falls upon the ground; one is then eliminated from the tournament. Let the tournament begin!"

The boys, encouraged by the words of the knight, had drawn their swords out of their sheaths. They all charged in the direction of the knight with their swords near their chests. They yelled loudly, too, like a sleuth of bears.

The knight swung with his sword once. This swing caused the three brothers of the house of Gargeron to fall upon the ground. Rabius and Famius still participated in the tournament. Within a few minutes, Rabius was also eliminated, as he slipped on a rock akin to a man's fist. Thus, Famius was the last to face the knight.

The knight confidently stood; he was well balanced. Whereas, Famius' body was shaking; his face was akin to the whiteness of a snow flake; he was terrified of this combat.

Then, the knight began with a strong swing towards Famius, however the boy avoided the swing smoothly. Momentarily, Famius was facing the knight's back, yet the knight was well skilled in his swordsmanship and thus _God's hand_ encountered Famius' attack. Then, Famius and _God's hand_ exchanged, swift swings from both of their swords but none of the swings were final.

Then, Famius roared wildly. The knight and the other boys were shocked. The roar gave Famius a spiritual strength. Then, fearlessly Famius charged at the knight with his short, single-handed sword. Before the boy gave his final blow, whilst charging, he jumped at the height of the knight's head. Within thin air, Famius managed to pull his sword over his head.

Famius won. And the knight was laying on the ground; he was defeated.

The boy's blow created a significant mark on the knight's armour, located around the knight's chest.

Famius was filled with adrenaline and immediately dropped his sword. The boy was shocked by his victory. After a few moments, Famius helped the knight to stand up. The knight was covered in mud and he, too, was amazed by the boy's skills.

The knight declared with amazement, "Famius, my friend, you deserve to be called son of Karathis. Where have you learned your swordsmanship, my friend?"

Famius answered timidly, "Sometimes I practiced swinging my sword after the sun was at its rest."

Rabius asked demandingly, "Now, my dear knight, where is your proof of your great swordsmanship?"

The knight responded, "I am speech-".

Famius finished the knight's sentence with an authority within his voice, "He is _God's hand_."

Rabius responded with submissive body language. Then, Rabius glanced hesitantly and respectfully asked Famius, "Where shall we go now, my friend, Famius?"

Famius said confidently, "Rabius, my friend, we shall go further into the forest. My father once said to me that within these woods there is a great druid; whose knowledge can answer any question."

The knight added, "As of my knowledge in locating the druid's house, one should find certain herbs. The roots of these herbs should lead us to the dwelling of the druid."

Jaxton woke up as if he had slept for a hundred years, he kindly and respectfully asked the knight, "_God's hand_, what herbs shall we look for?"

The knight responded kindly and calmly, "_Bradigi dearci_ we should look for, my dear friend."

Jaxton responded rapidly, "Give me a short while and I shall find what you are seeking." And, then, he dove under the greenness of the forest and sought _Bradigi dearci_.

One side of _Bradigi dearci_ was alike to a leaf of maple, nevertheless the other side was rectangular. The colour of _Bradigi dearci_'s leaf was of a dim green, which did not aid Jaxton in his searching for this plant.

As time passed, the boys and the knight decided to rest upon the ground, but not Jaxton. He instead carefully looked for the herb. Finally, he yelled, from underneath the forest's greenness loudly, "My friends, I have found _Bradigi dearci_." He called his brothers to help him with taking out the herb's root. The brothers grabbed the plant's root and they pulled the root out of the ground. Then, Jaxton looked at Joksan. Joksan understood Jaxton's look.

Joksan cast a spell. The spell changed the colour of the herb from green to a hue of pink. One of the specific features of _Bradigi dearci_ is that each plant is connected with its 'mother plant' (the main, original plant).

Firstly, Joksan looked at the roots' direction and then he stated positively, "We shall go this way." He pointed towards 'North-East'.

Everyone prepared for the journey towards the druid's dwelling; every one but Gregori. He felt he was being observed. And from above the travellers' heads, a four-legged behemoth type creature fell down...


	6. VI - Life vs Death

The beast was gargantuan. The behemoth's anatomy was akin to a bear's anatomy. The beast's head was similar to a lion's head. The behemoth's fur colour was distinguishable, too. The colour of the fur was an amalgam of blue and blood-red.

The beast was on top of the boys and the knight. All of the companions and the beast were disorientated and dismayed.

After a few moments had passed, Gregori and the knight used their strength to firstly escape from underneath the beast. Then, they dragged the beast away from their companions. And they succeeded.

Now, it was visible that the beast, Famius and Rabius were severely damaged. The beast's left hip bone protruded from the beast's dense fur. Hence, immediately, a puddle of blood was created underneath the beast. Rabius, with huge difficulty, attempted to stand up, yet without a satisfactory result. And Famius did not move at all.

Gregori looked mercilessly at the beast; the beast was motionless. Then, Gregori took his sword out of his sheath. He was prepared to end the beast's life, but the knight yelled authoritatively to stop; the boy froze for a moment.

Then, Gregori responded irritably and aggressively to the knight, "Knight, who are you to tell me, that I shall not kill the beast? Let me remind you that the creature is our enemy. That it has attacked us. Why shall you stop me from an action that is righteous?"

The knight responded harshly, "The beast is powerless. Gregori, who are you to decide who lives and dies? Famius and Rabius are hurt. And, let me remind you, they are your companions! Thus, what is righteous now is taking care of them first. And nature will take care of the beast; not you."

Jaxton added, "Brother, your violence is unnecessary in these woods. As from my reading, I have learned that these animals are aggressive to no one but themselves."

Gregori was frustrated; he used his strength to determine his justice. He agreed to leave the beast.

Famius and Rabius were on the ground. Famius' condition was unknown and Rabius was fatally injured. Joksan and Jaxton picked Rabius up but Rabius was unable to stand alone without the support of the two brothers.

Rabius yelled in pain as he attempted to stand. He then fell onto the ground. Then he stated exhaustedly, "Brothers, I cannot walk."

Joksan responded cheerfully, "Rabius, you can walk."

Rabius attempted to stand up and he failed again. Rabius also yelled from a pain even louder than the pain he experienced previously. Then he said to the two brothers, "Brothers, I will stay here. You need to move further ahead. I am already a problem and staying with you would be a mistake for you and for me."

Joksan panicked and then he responded rapidly, "No, Rabius, do not lose your hope too quickly. I will aid you to recover from this condition."

Rabius responded seriously and sadly, "Joksan, leave me and go further into the forest! It is a command! I have become an unresolved problem. GO!"

The two brothers left Rabius underneath a beautiful and tall tree. Finally, Jaxton said to his brother, "Joksan, you shall see him one day amongst Gods of Heaviosa. Brother, I need you to be present." Joksan looked at Jaxton and nodded.

In the interim, the knight took care of Famius; the boy was still unconscious. His throat was covered with healing leaves of leaiat ov licia. The boy had not made any response to the outer world. The knight also checked the boy's eyes. Famius' eyes were not seen; the eyeballs were plain white. Furthermore, the boy's body temperature had dramatically fallen. His skin, too, became even paler than previously. Everyone knew that Famius and Rabius were lost from their companionship.

The knight and the three brothers performed a funeral ceremony. Then, the companions laid Famius' body alongside a huge, fallen and rotten tree. With tears, the companions left Rabius for their voyage towards the druid's household, somewhere in the 'North-East'…


End file.
